Pressure
by Bubblegum Thai
Summary: Duo’s been caught and expects the usual scenario, but when Heero doesn’t show, is it the end for our beloved Shinigami, or will a new friend appear to replace the perfect soldier?


Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing, I wish I did, but I don't! ::sobs::  
  
Authors note: The idea for this suddenly hit me after watching Gundam Wing twice daily (at least) for the last couple of weeks. I just finished watching Episode 26 and figured.eh.what the hell? Unoriginal? Yup! Corny? Hell yeah! Shounen Ai? You can bet your girly, Treize-style boots that there'll be guy on guy action here! So, my dear readers, I give you.this.uh.thing!  
  
Summary: Duo's been caught and expects the usual scenario, but when Heero doesn't show, is it the end for our beloved Shinigami, or will a new friend appear to replace the perfect soldier?  
  
Key: Some is in Duo's POV so that is marked in *these star thingies (I don't remember how to spell it)*  
  
Setting: Uhm.this really doesn't fit in anywhere!  
  
Genre: Angst. Romance. Drama. Shounen Ai.  
  
Pairings: 3x2 with mentioning of 1x2 and 3x4  
  
Author: Bubblegum Thai.  
  
Pressure.  
  
*Man . . . de ja vou really sucks . . . I mean . . .one minute . . . I'm sittin' in my Gundam, happy as I can bloody well be and then all of a sudden BHAM! Good morning! Don't mind us as we haul your ass in and beat the shit outta ya! Jeeze! They coulda taken it a little bit easier on me? It's always the same.I get caught, get the crap beaten' outta me.they threaten to execute me . . . someone saves me . . . usually Heero, who, at the same time . . . also threatens to kill me, holding a gun at me head . . . charming, don't ya think? Anyways . . . it's just a case of sitting here and waiting around for someone, anyone to realise that I'm here . . . it's been 32 hours, I'm making a rough estimate . . . and I haven't heard a single explosion . . . where are you, Heero*  
  
Trowa leant his hips back, gently touching the cool, white wall with his buttocks as he lowered his head, chin resting against the starched uniform as he folded his arms across his chest. Dark eyelashes tickled his high cheek bones as his eyes slid shut. Exhaling gently he left exhaustion catch up with his body,  
  
"Trowa Barton!" A voice close to his ear boomed.  
  
He lifted his head slowly, glancing to his right where the voice had come from. The small action was enough to prompt his superior to continue his rant, a cap tilted low down on his brow,  
  
"What are you doing loafing about out here?"  
  
Before Trowa could answer, Lieutenant Colonel Lady Une strode up beside him, folding her arms,  
  
"Lieutenant, what is going on here?" She demanded, her nose held high in the air as she bore down upon the small man, looking at him with disgust through her glasses,  
  
"I caught Trowa Barton standing out here, with his eyes closed! Sleeping on the job!"  
  
"Well, have you given him anything to do?"  
  
"Well . . . uhm, no . . . but my soldiers KNOW what they're supposed to be doing, Colonel."  
  
"Can you not see that he was simply resting his eyes? A well rested soldier is an alert and prepared soldier! Now, get back to work!" She scoffed, marching past them, throwing a careful glance in the direction of the tall, slender teenage boy,  
  
"You heard the Colonel. Get back to work! She may hold some sort of a torch for you, however, I see right through your façade!" The lieutenant sneered, turning sharply and storming off back into the main control area.  
  
Trowa smirked, kicking off of the wall as he followed the path that Lady Une had taken. The large windows on the right of the narrow corridor opened out into the void that was outer space, casting a dim glow over the features that were visible on his face. The curve of his lips, the subtle point of his slim nose, the gentle arches of his eyebrows. Perfection personified.  
  
*Now I know it's been at least three days . . . they must need me or something because the only time the door has even come close to opening is for food and water . . . once a day . . . I can feel my stomach eating itself . . . kinda gross . . . ok . . . just plain gross . . . it's rumbling so loud I'm worried that it's gonna cause a landslide somewhere on Earth! Heero still hasn't shown up . . . I wonder what's keeping him! He always saves me! Always . . . sure he jokes about wanting to kill me . . . but . . . he'd never do it . . . he'd never let me slowly die here . . . would he . . .? I wonder where everyone is . . . I wonder how they're doin'.  
  
Heero . . . where are you . . .?  
  
Don't let me die . . . not like this . . .  
  
. . . Heero . . .?*  
  
". . . yeah . . . who'd of thought it . . . stupid Gundam Pilot . . . yeah . . . I heard that he's just some stupid little punk kid . . . American, if I recollect . . ."  
  
Trowa's head jerked up as his roommate stood in the open doorway, wearing only a under vest and boxer shorts. His eyes narrowed, listening carefully,  
  
"I only just found out! The media hasn't been alerted yet because they don't want the same thing that always happens to happen again . . . they're going to announce it once they execute him." The soldier at the door said casually,  
  
"Hmph." Trowa's roommate smirked, "Serves the little bugger right, if you ask me!"  
  
"Well, goodnight Jim!"  
  
"Goodnight Perry!"  
  
Closing the door of their shared room, the soldier, prepared for bed turn and looked at Trowa,  
  
"Ya hear that, man? They caught a Gundam pilot . . . some little kid . . . about 15 they reckon."  
  
"When are they going to kill him?" Trowa asked casually, leaning back on his bunk,  
  
"Perry didn't say, although . . . I suppose real soon . . . they've been slowly decreasing the amount of food and water they give him each day to wear down his resistance so he doesn't put up much of a fight."  
  
"Oh." Trowa lay back on his bunk, closing his eyes, "This should be interesting." He thought to himself, nuzzling against the hard pillow in an attempt to get comfortable.  
  
*Last night . . . when I was drifting somewhere in-between consciousness and . . . well . . . not . . . I thought I saw Heero . . . standing by the door, holding one of those incredibly big guns, considering the spandex he wears, in his hand, pointing it at my head. I thought he was real! I honestly did . . . so I stumbled over gripping the barrel in my hands, they were shaking I was sobbing, he'd come . . . he'd come to end it . . . he always comes to get me . . . I moved the barrel between my eyes and squeezed them shut, just . . . waiting . . . we stood there and as my knees began to buckle, I leant against the weapon for support . . . except . . . it wasn't there . . . I fell against the door hard . . . so hard that soon after, as I lay dazed on the stone floor, cold and damp, I felt something warm trickle all over my scalp, red seeping into my blurred vision.  
  
Someone's coming. They're at the door . . . their silhouette . . . they're watching me . . . but I can't move.*  
  
"Duo . . ."  
  
*Did someone just whisper my name?*  
  
"Duo, are you awake?"  
  
*It's . . . Trowa?! YES! I want to scream at him, beg him to find Heero . . . beg him to take me away! I want my death! GIVE ME MY DEATH! I want to yell at him . . . but I can't . . . I can only splutter as I begin to choke on my blood-drenched hair . . . Jeeze! How much blood did I lose?!*  
  
"Duo . . .?" Trowa leant up on his tiptoes, although, it wasn't needed as he pressed his forehead against the cold bars in the square hole of the window,  
  
"Huuuuuuuuh . . .?" Duo groaned, clawing with broken and chipped fingernails that were already bitten down hair against the brick-like pattern flooring,  
  
"Good. You're awake."  
  
*Heh. Yeah. But only in the strictest sense of the word, man . . .*  
  
"Hn." Duo grunted, trying to push himself off of the floor. He got a couple of inches before collapsing against the floor, "Ouch . . ." He muttered, getting a mouth full of dust.  
  
As Duo doubled into himself, coughing up a mixture of dust, phlegm and blood, Trowa struggled vainly to see the withered boy, he could tell from his shadow that Duo had lost a lot of weight already,  
  
"Duo . . ."  
  
"Look . . . will you stop . . . saying my . . . name and . . . do . . . some. . ." He couldn't continue the spluttered sentence as another coughing fit took control of his body. Every nerve burned and tightened as his chest convulsed.  
  
*HEERO!*  
  
Trowa rolled his eyes, even in pain; the American pilot had a bitter, twisted sense of what would be considered humour. Not possessing anything even remotely similar, he had no notion what the other was trying to achieve by such an attitude,  
  
"I'll be back soon; I just wanted to make sure that my efforts would not be wasted. After all.why should I save a dead man?"  
  
"Jee . . . thanks, man . . ." Duo snorted, shuffling towards the rickety bunk that hung by chains from the sidewall,  
  
"No problem." Trowa replied flatly, a small smirk tugging at his thin lips as he turned, making sure no one had seen him and left.  
  
*Grrrrrrreat . . . now I'm so pathetic that I've got clown boy lookin' out for my ass . . . how embarrassing! I just wanna curl up under this unstable thing and die! OH MY GOD! So . . . yeah . . . I want to cry . . . I bet Trowa doesn't cry . . . I bet he just . . . makes strange little mewling noises . . . eep! Something just ran through me . . . excitement? Excitement over Trowa making little mewling noises?! There it is again! I bet that they'd be really cute . . . oh . . . my . . . god . . . wrong . . . oh so wrong . . . Heero really WOULD kill me if he heard me say something like that . . . oh man . . . I'm so tired . . . my brain's fucked . . . I can't think strait . . . I'm confusing Trowa with Heero . . . I must be! There's no other explanation for it!*  
  
As Trowa turned a corner he came face to face with the Lieutenant that was notorious for being on his case,  
  
"Hey, short stuff, where ya been?" He chuckled, arms outstretched as he blocked the rout of the Heavyarms pilot in disguise,  
  
"Nowhere."  
  
The lieutenant shook his head slowly,  
  
"Tut . . . tut . . . tut . . . wrong answer . . . Trowa . . ."  
  
Before Trowa knew it, he was pressed up against the cold metal of the corridor wall, hot, fumbling hands on his torso as a questing tongue was plunged into his mouth. Shocked, Trowa froze . . . images of his past flashing before his eyes. As the lieutenant pulled back, still holding Trowa against the wall, he crumpled to his knees, the hands losing their firm grip, but remaining in place. A single tear slithered a path down Trowa's cheek as he gasped for air,  
  
"Hey! Stop that!" The older man scolded, "What do you think is wrong with you?!"  
  
"I . . . I . . ." Trowa stammered, holding his head as he rocked back and forth, still in the other's arms,  
  
"Here . . . come in here . . . "  
  
Trowa vaguely felt his form being scooted into someone's quarters and once he had regained control, he realised it was his commanding officer's single room,  
  
"Here . . ." He handed Trowa a shot glass of some sort of brown liquid. Trowa took it warily, but downed it in one, "Hey! Take it easy there!"  
  
Trowa nodded slowly,  
  
"Why?" He finally asked,  
  
"Because . . ." The usual smirk returned to the lieutenants lips, "I saw what you did, Trowa . . . I saw you talking to our little guest and the only way that I'm not going to spill my guts to everyone is if you do as I say. . . and don't even bother trying to kill me . . . someone will find out regardless . . ."  
  
Trowa gulped slightly, his defensive walls came slamming down as realisation settled in like a snow fall,  
  
"Alright . . ." Trowa agreed, "Whatever you want.so long as I can keep my eye on him . . ."  
  
"What's with you?" He sneered, "You got a thing for that little brat or something?"  
  
"You could say that . . ." Trowa replied coolly, "Let's just say that I'd prefer him to be breathing. . ."  
  
"Ahh . . . you're sly . . ."  
  
An evil glint twinkled in the lieutenants eyes as he stalked forwards, pinning Trowa against the closed door,  
  
"I hope you don't have to be anywhere tonight, Trowa . . ." He whispered huskily, gently breezing a hand over Trowa's left nipple.  
  
*Trowa hasn't come back yet . . . he said soon . . . but how soon, is soon? Ok . . . I know that sounds so stupid . . . but despite the fact that he's cold . . . silent . . . boring Trowa Barton . . . he's here . . . he's willing to help . . . he wants to protect me . . . protect me from myself . . . I wonder where he is now . . . the Uni-banged kid couldn't have gone far, right? What if he gets caught? They'll shoot him on sight, right? Or . . . they'll throw him in here . . . maybe I'd like that . . . that way I wouldn't be alone in the dark . . . I could hold him, and he could hold me and we'd be one . . . just like Heero and I . . . If I'm so many fractions of so many wholes, then how come I feel so incomplete no matter who I'm with . . . Heero's cold . . . perhaps I should turn to Quatre . . . if I survive . . . nah . . . Wufei said that would be too much for any sane bystander to witness . . . Hmmm . . . Wufei . . . ok . . . no . . . Wufei doesn't really like taking the back entrance, as far as I'm aware. I just chuckled . . . I'm making myself laugh . . . but, it doesn't sound like me . . . it sounds like . . . like nails on a chalk board . . . a mime screaming for it's life . . . .Quatre yelling an anger . . . it sounds unnatural . . . I want it to end . . . today I got a half of the water I got yesterday, and that was half of the day before, and half of the day before that . . . My food was a bread roll . . . one bread roll, as opposed to the bred roll and slop that I guess was supposed to be tomato soup yesterday. My braid for a bar of chocolate! SOMEONE GET MY BEN AND JERRY ON THE LINE!  
  
There's that chuckle again . . . so lifeless . . . cold . . . so . . . so harsh . . .*  
  
The door swung open and Trowa staggered in, wiping at his brow as he tucked his shirt in,  
  
"Duo?" He called shakily, "Duo, you awake?"  
  
A bundle of rags in the far corner sifted slightly, moaning in agony,  
  
"Oh man . . . my stomach . . ." He groaned, coughing slightly as he looked up, "Trowa . . . it hurts . . . everything hurts!" Duo's eyes pleaded with the others, "What . . . what are you . . . how did you get in here?"  
  
"I managed to get a key . . ."  
  
"How?"  
  
"It doesn't matter. I brought you this . . ." Trowa murmured, pulling out a hot flask of chicken soup, "Take it easy though, you'll make yourself sick . . ."  
  
Trowa returned to the door and closed it, locking it from inside,  
  
"The guard . . .?"  
  
"He's taken care off . . . don't worry . . ."  
  
"Porn?" Duo attempted a chuckle,  
  
"Tis a weak man who can be swayed by such things."  
  
"I don't think so. Lust and love . . . they're powerful things, Trowa."  
  
"I know."  
  
"I mean . . . I get distracted when I think about Heero . . . or see Heero . . . or be with Heero. . ."  
  
"And that's how you ended up in here!"  
  
"That's not Heero's fault!" Duo snapped,  
  
"No, but you're still here, aren't you?"  
  
Duo fell silent, holding the flashing in shaking, skeleton hands. Trowa tilted Duo's chin up, his face thin and frail,  
  
"You need medical attention."  
  
"No duh . . . well, unless you can feet a hospital in those trousers of your Tro', I'm stumped for ideas!"  
  
Trowa snorted,  
  
"You'd be surprised . . ."  
  
"I don't wanna know . . ." Duo shook his head, sipping gingerly at the hot Bovril, "Trowa. . ." He began carefully after several minutes, "What did you mean when you said 'I know' . . . about love and lust you meant . . . Quatre?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"You love Quatre?" Duo asked, grinning madly,  
  
"I loved Quatre."  
  
"Oh . . . what happened?"  
  
"Duo, I don't think we should . . ."  
  
"It's my last, dieing wish, Trowa . . . to pry into blonde's life . . . c'mon . . . spill. . . "  
  
Trowa sighed, pushing his uni-bang off of his face, only to have it spring back into place,  
  
"I . . . he . . . we . . . I couldn't . . ."  
  
"You couldn't perform?!" Duo gasped,  
  
"No Duo . . . I'm perfectly capable . . . I . . . I can't trust people . . . it's . . . a long story . . . I just . . . can't accept to have people that I care about . . . I can't take control . . . it feels . . . wrong . . . I have to . . . submit . . . "  
  
Duo tilted his head to one side,  
  
"And that's what Quatre wanted? You to control him?"  
  
"No . . . not exactly . . . he wanted what I wanted . . . he wanted someone to protect him . . . I can't protect him . . . I can't protect anything . . ."  
  
Duo frowned slightly, finishing the last of the liquid,  
  
"Don't worry Tro'!" Duo cheered, "Soon . . . we'll . . . we'll be . . . outta this war . . . and . . . you can . . . become . . . a . . . hermit. . . " Duo trailed off as he fell against the taller boy, "Trowa! I feel dizzy!" He groaned as he fell against the other,  
  
"Don't worry . . . your body just isn't used to the sudden intake of food . . . you need to rest . . ." Trowa whispered as his arms tightened around Duo's form.  
  
*Please Trowa . . . don't let go . . .*  
  
Duo fell asleep in Trowa's arms as Trowa gently breezed his fingers over the nape of Duo's neck.  
  
*. . . stay . . . forever . . .*  
  
"GET OFF THA FLOOR!" A voice growled as a strong hand roughly pulled Duo to his feet.  
  
*Oh crap . . . what a way to wake up . . . it's time for my early morning wake-up call . . .*  
  
Trowa cringed as he stood outside the door, hearing each bone crunching hit land itself perfectly on target. Duo's grunts of restraint as he folded over the fist, foot, crowbar, baseball bat . . . whatever item chose to take out it's rage on his frail form,  
  
"You'll be executed tomorrow evening . . . start prayin', kid." A large man chuckled; wiping a small trickled of blood from his cheek as soon as it splattered from Duo's beaten body which now lay crumpled on the floor, "That's if you make it til then . . ."  
  
*Trowa . . . run away before they discover you . . .*  
  
As soon as the door closed, it opened again; Trowa knelt beside Duo, lifting his fragile body into his arms,  
  
"Duo . . ." He whispered, brushing blood caked bangs from violet eyes, "Duo . . . say something . . ."  
  
"Fuck." Duo croaked, cracking open one dulled orb,  
  
"Good enough." Trowa smirked,  
  
"Tro' . . ." Duo lifted a inquisitive finger to Trowa's forehead, directly above his left eye where a large scar and fresh bruise made their presence known, "What . . . hap . . . happened?"  
  
"Don't worry . . . it's just a little something . . . my admission into here . . ."  
  
"You let them . . . beat you . . .?"  
  
"No . . ." Trowa shook his head, "Don't worry about it Duo . . . here . . ."  
  
Trowa tilted Duo's head up, pouring a steady trickled of water into the mouth of the infamous Shinigami.  
  
Duo coughed slightly, gently tugging on Trowa's fingers,  
  
"Trowa . . . d'ya think that . . ." He guided his friends hand to his gun, "Please . . .?"  
  
"No Duo! I'm going to get you out of here . . . I'm going to do it now . . ."  
  
"I can't . . ."  
  
*Please Trowa . . . don't make me . . . please . . . Trowa . . . I need this . . . I need closure . . .*  
  
"You can . . . Duo . . . you will . . ." Trowa whispered, tracing Duo's lips with his fingertips,  
  
"Kiss me?" Duo whimpered, clutching Trowa's hand, "Please Trowa . . .?"  
  
Trowa smiled faintly,  
  
"I . . . I'm glad you asked that . . ."  
  
Trowa ducked his head, capturing Duo's bruised lips in his, holding onto the damaged body tightly, but not tight enough to harm him. He gently ran his tongue over Duo's bottom lip and was granted entrance, but he took it slowly, gently caressing the inside of Duo's mouth rather than exploring it . . . letting the injured boy know that he mattered.that even if Heero wanted to forget about him, he never would.  
  
*Trowa . . .*  
  
As Trowa pulled back, a feeling of overwhelming pleasure engulfed him, noticing the look of pure bliss on the boys cherub-like face, his lips slightly parted, cheeks flushed, eyes lidded heavily, breath . . . heavy . . . ? No . . . his breath was . . . he wasn't breathing!  
  
"Duo?" Trowa cried frantically, feeling for a pulse, "DUO?!" Pumping his chest, breathing into his mouth, Trowa tried everything, sliding against the smaller boys chest, he held him, "Duo . . . please . . . " Trowa shook silently as his fingers curled around those of the American pilot, squeezing gently, "Duo . . . don't leave me . . . I . . . I love you . . . I want to trust you . . . I do trust you . . ."  
  
*Trowa . . .*  
  
Trowa relaxed against the still figure, tears staining his cheeks as the skeleton beneath him suddenly surged with the heavy intake of a sudden breath. Coughing and spluttering, Duo's eyes snapped open, wheezing, Duo, squeezed Trowa's hand back, curling into the taller acrobatic teenager,  
  
"Let's go . . ." Trowa whispered, holding Duo tightly as his breath steadied out. Duo nodded numbly, feeling Trowa lift him gracefully into his strong arms as he rushed for the door.  
  
*To hell with Heero . . . he left me in the dark . . . Trowa brought me to the light!*  
  
Owari! 


End file.
